Use F10 to restore a HUAWEI Windows computer to its factory settings

Applicable products： PC，Desktop
Applicable products：
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Use F10 to restore a HUAWEI Windows computer to its factory settings

The F10 system restore function on your Windows computer quickly returns your computer to its factory settings.

 
  • The MateBook first-generation (Hertz) does not support the F10 restoration feature.
  • After you press F10 to restore factory settings, the BIOS version will not be affected.

1. Precautions

  • Data security: System restoration will delete data (including desktop files, downloads, documents, and browser favorites) and software installed in the C drive. Back up data before restoring factory settings. After the factory settings are restored, the stored data on other drives such as the D drive is not affected. The green software (software that can be directly used after being downloaded and installed) can still be used, but other software can only be used after being reinstalled.
     
  • Account and password: Remember the Microsoft account and password used to activate the Office software on your computer. After the restoration is complete, you need to enter the Microsoft account and password to configure the computer again.
  • Remove external devices: Before restoration, remove all external devices except the power adapter, keyboard, and mouse, such as the docking station or USB flash drive.
  • System version rollback: After you press F10 to restore factory settings, the system will be rolled back to the pre-installed system version. For example, for a computer that is pre-installed with Windows 10 and updated to Windows 11, the system will roll back to Windows 10 after you press F10 to restore factory settings. For details about how to update the system, see Updating to a higher version of Windows.

2. Using F10 to restore the computer to its factory settings

  1. Use either of the following methods to access the screen for restoring factory settings:

    If your computer is pre-installed with Windows 10 CMIT Government Edition, you can only use Method 1 to access the factory settings restoration screen.

    Method 1: Connect your computer to the power adapter and press the Power button. During the power-on process (before any screen is displayed), press and hold F10 immediately or press F10 continuously and quickly.

    Method 2: Connect your computer to a power adapter. On the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, click to open Huawei PC Manager. Click in the upper right corner, go to Settings > System > Factory reset, and follow the onscreen instructions. The computer will then automatically restart. (The user interface may vary depending on the version of PC Manager.)

  2. On the Huawei Intelligent Recovery screen, click Recovery.

    The screen that appears after you press F10 may vary depending on the version being used. Please follow the onscreen instructions to proceed.

  3. Click Change to back up the data to the specified drive. Click Browse, select the content in the C drive to be backed up, and click Start.
    For example, if you want to back up the data in the Users folder on the C drive, click Browse, and select the Users folder. (This method can only back up some data in the Users folder. To back up all data in the Users folder, see Backing up a HUAWEI computer's hard disk data.)
     
    • If you click Skip and do not back up the data in the C drive, the personal data in the C drive will be lost, and will not be restored after the computer is restored to its factory settings.
    • After the restoration is complete, you need to reinstall the software installed in the C drive (system disk). For software that was installed on a non-system disk (such as the D or E drive), you can decide whether to reinstall the software depending on their features.
    • If you wish to back up data to an external storage device (such as a USB flash drive or portable hard disk), re-insert the device.

  4. After the backup is complete, go to the Restore factory settings screen and click Start. The computer will then be automatically restored to its factory settings.

  5. After the system has been restored, follow the onscreen instructions to complete configuring the system.

3. F10 factory settings restoration guide

After you use F10 to restore your computer to its factory settings, please reconfigure it. If you encounter any problems during use, please refer to the following instructions, or visit the HUAWEI Support official website for further assistance.

  1. How can I view the backup data in the C drive after I press F10 to restore factory settings?

    The default backup path of the C drive is D:\Backup or D:\HUAWEI Backup. You can also manually back up the data to another drive or folder. After you press F10 to restore factory settings, you can go to D:\Backup or D:\HUAWEI Backup to view and use the backup data in C drive. For example, if you back up the data in the Users folder in the C drive to D:\Backup, you can find the backup file in D:\Backup\Users after the restoration is complete.

  2. After F10 restoration is complete, how do I activate Microsoft Office? What can I do if I forget the account or password?
    • How to activate Office: The F10 function may vary depending on the device model. For certain models, after you press F10 to restore factory settings, you'll need to connect to the Internet and log in to your Microsoft account again to activate Office. After F10 restoration is complete, open any Office component. If the system displays a message indicating that the Office component is not activated, enter the account and password for activating the Office component for the first time, and log in to or activate the Office component as prompted.
    • If you forget your Microsoft account or password when activating Office, please see Finding the Microsoft account and resetting the password.
  3. How do I download the third-party application software after the F10 restoration is complete?

    It is recommended that you download the apps from their official websites.

  4. Why does the system version need to be updated after I use F10 to restore my computer to its factory settings?

    After you use F10 to restore your computer to its factory settings, the system version (including drivers, such as the graphics card driver and Bluetooth driver) will be rolled back to the factory version. You'll need to wait for the system to automatically update, or manually update the system, in order to run the latest version.

  5. After I use F10 to restore my computer to its factory settings, Windows Pro is restored to Windows Home. How can I update it to Windows Pro again?

    After you restore your computer to its factory settings, you'll need to power on your computer and connect it to the Internet to activate the pre-installed Windows Home. You can then update it to Windows Pro again. In addition, you'll need to prepare the product key of the Windows Pro edition. You can find it in the email sent by the Windows seller or distributor, or on the Windows DVD or USB packing box.

    To activate the system, click and then Settings, go to Update & Security > Activation > Change product key, enter the product key of Windows 11 Pro, and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the activation.

    Click to enter the activation settings.

To learn more:

How to reset a phone/tablet to its factory settings

Data backup gets stuck when using the F10 factory reset function

The system can't be restored to factory settings by using F10

Unable to update the BIOS or system, or use F10 to restore the computer to its factory settings after I set BitLocker encryption on my HUAWEI computer

My HUAWEI computer's hard drives are password protected

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